Revival Holiday Newsletter

Monday, December 16, 2013

In this time that can be stressful Falalalala, lalalala Read this book, it's fun and restful Falalalala, lalalala

Some great folk performers have been recommending Revival as a holiday gift this year Tom Paxton says, “Big on Llewyn Davis? Here's a terrific novel that also tells it like it was (and is). A beautiful gift idea.”

And Ellis Paul is telling folks, “If you've ever wanted to live on the inside of the folk world, this wonderful story will take you there. Revival is the perfect gift for any music fan.” Mary Gauthier asks, “Looking for a wonderful book to give a music lover for Christmas? Revival, by Scott Alarik, is a great read!”

Nothing means more to me than this kind of enthusiasm for my novel. All year, I took the book around the country, from Kerrville, Texas, to Columbus, Ohio, North Carolina to Minnesota, Chicago to New York, watching it spread like a folk song, from fan to fan, coffeehouse to coffeehouse, community to community. I know that’s how the book’s main characters, Nathan and Kit, would want their story to grow.

I hope you’ll consider Revival as a holiday gift for someone close to you. I’m learning that another benefit to a folk novel is that we don’t put sell-by dates on our art. As long as people are still discovering Revival, it’s a new book.

From Revival, the Midwinter chapter:

In ancient times, this merriment was serious business. Midwinter was not just the darkest time; it was the most dangerous. What food there was had already been harvested, preserved, stored. The earth had little to offer those who did not already have enough.

So people invented fun ways to call on their neighbors. Because midwinter was a time to remind everybody they were not alone, even when it turned this dark. When the long nights made people feel like strangers in the world, the music reminded them that they belonged to each other.

My first two albums, recorded during the Great Age of Vinyl, are now remastered in digital form, in all their analog glory, and are now available on my website HERE.

In the meanwhile, click below for a free download of my folksy version of The Beatles song, “Help,” from my first album, “Stories,” released in 1979. I’ve always loved the chamber-folk setting created by Peter Ostroushko and bassist John Anderson.

Soon after recording it, I was gratified to see John Lennon say in an interview that he wished he’d done it as the folk ballad he meant it to be, and not let “the lads” talk him into speeding it up. I have no evidence he was reacting specifically to my version of his song. Then again, I have no evidence that he wasn’t, either. Ahemm-hmm.

I’m writing a second novel now, drawn even more closely from my life than Revival. It’s also very much a book about our passion for music, charting the moments when my belief in the power of folk songs became certain and unshakable. The working title is Good Trouble. What do you think?